I would like to apologize to my readers for the break from the blog this past month. I needed to do some revisions on my manuscript of Scraps of Hope. Last week, for the first time, I sent it off to be reviewed by a potential publisher. Hopefully, it will be accepted – but I’ll … Continue reading On to Osnabrück
Erik Schumacher’s new book, “Mau and Gerty: A Jewish Love Story Between Migrations and World Wars” is out. I heard about it from my friend Myriam. I wanted to read it immediately. It tells the story of a couple, Mau Hanemann and Gerty Kelemen. Erik was inspired to write the book after one of the … Continue reading Mau and Gerty
Right now, in a small forgotten corner of The Netherlands, people are gathering and reading the names of the 102,000 people who were deported from Holland and murdered at the hands of the Nazis. Please spend a few minutes on the live stream and listen. You don't have to understand Dutch to appreciate the enormity … Continue reading Reading of the 102,000 Names
Like many writers, I have hit a spot where I am stuck. This isn't writer's block. It isn't due to a lack of imagination or time or effort. I am stuck because I can't quite fit together the pieces of history that I have unearthed. I have my mother's memories and the stories she has … Continue reading Stuck
Coming home from Amsterdam today. Watch for updates on my adventure. It has been an exciting week with many, many emotions and discoveries. For example: laying the stumbling stone in for my mother's uncle, dinner with the author of several Holocaust children's books and the son of one of the guards at Westerbork, a visit … Continue reading Amsterdam
This is a powerful piece (click on the link below) by Naftali Bendavid that appeared in the Wall Street Journal last week. It is about the last survivors of the Holocaust telling their stories. According to the popular press there were only 100 child survivors of Theresienstadt. My mother was one of them. I don’t know … Continue reading Why I’m Writing about the Holocaust – Part 2
When I went out to dump some kitchen scraps into the compost bin a few weeks ago I noticed something I hadn’t seen before. There were several tall leafy plants topped with delicate purple flowers. I had no idea what they were and so proceeded to look them up on the internet. I found a … Continue reading Treasure in the Compost Bin
During the school year there is a certain rhythm to my life. The day starts with getting my youngest and sometimes my bonus-son up and out the door for school. There is the 45 minute round trip in dropping them off and then getting home to a quiet house. Being a morning person I can … Continue reading Rhythms of Writing
Yesterday was quite exciting for me. I decided to look into the fate of the 7 Jews (of which my grandfather was one) who were named in the documents that Eichmann's office and Speer's office were discussing. This is what I came up with: Broder was sent to Westerbork in February 1944 and then Theresienstadt later … Continue reading Oberländer Overseas
I have been collecting information like crazy since I was in D.C. What started out as a nugget has been a strike on the mother lode. My new source is Myriam. She has been sending me e-mails every couple of days with bits and pieces that are amazing. Each one is more interesting than the … Continue reading Speer vs Eichmann
